Una potente voz se apaga: muere Whitney Houston
La cantante estadounidense Whitney Houston falleció hoy a los 48 de edad, informó su publicista, Kristen Foster.
Las causas y el lugar de la muerte de la estrella del pop aún se desconocen, pero su salud estaba visiblemente mermada en los últimos tiempos por sus problemas con las drogas. Hizo su última aparición pública hace dos días, cuando cantó en la fiesta previa a los Grammy junto con la cantante Kelly Price.
Houston reinó en la música pop con su majestuosa voz, pero el consumo de drogas y su complicado matrimonio con el cantante Bobby Brown le pasaron factura.
Desde la década de los 80 hasta casi finales de los 90 fue una de las artistas que más discos vendió alrededor del mundo y su éxito se trasladó a la gran pantalla, donde protagonizó éxitos como «The Bodyguard», junto a Kevin Costner, y «Waiting to Exhale.»
Houston logró volver a lo más alto en 2009, cuando de nuevo fue número uno en ventas en EEUU con su último álbum «I Look to You», el primero en siete años. La cantante no había regresado al número uno de ventas desde el gran éxito de la banda sonora de la película «The Bodyguard», que permaneció en lo más alto de las listas de éxitos del país durante 20 semanas consecutivas.
Houston, con su increíble voz, fue la influencia de cantantes más jóvenes, como Christina Aguilera y Mariah Carey. Pero al final de su carrera, la cantante comenzó a abusar de todo tipo de drogas. Su alguna vez impecable y serena imagen fue destrozada por su comportamiento salvaje y sus bizarras apariciones públicas. Confesó que abusaba de la cocaína, mariguana y pastillas, y su voz dejó de ser lo que antes era.
«El mayor demonio soy yo misma. Soy al mismo tiempo mi mejor amiga o mi peor enemiga,» dijo Huston a Diane Sawyer en una entrevista que concedió a ABC en 2002, con su entonces esposo Bobby Brown a un lado suyo.
Descanse en paz Whitney Huston
*Nota de CBS News
Superstar singer Whitney Houston 1963-2012
Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died Saturday. She was 48.
Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen told reporters outside the Beverly Hilton that Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. in her room on the fourth floor of the hotel. Her body remained there and Beverly Hills detectives were investigating. «There were no obvious signs of any criminal intent at this time,» Rosen said.
Houston’s publicist, Kristen Foster, said Saturday that the cause of her death was unknown.
Rosen said police received a 911 call from hotel security about Houston at 3:43 p.m. Saturday. Paramedics who were already at the hotel because of a Grammy party unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the singer, he said.
Houston’s death came on the eve of music’s biggest night — the Grammy Awards. It’s a showcase where she once reigned, and her death was sure to cast a heavy pall on Sunday’s ceremony. Her longtime mentor Clive Davis was to hold his annual concert and dinner Saturday, and a representative of the show said it would proceed.
Houston was supposed to appear at the gala, and Davis had told The Associated Press that she would perhaps perform: «It’s her favorite night of the year … (so) who knows by the end of the evening,» he said.
Producer Jimmy Jam, who had worked with Houston, said he anticipated the evening would become a tribute to her, and he expected there to be one at the Grammys as well.
Houston had been at rehearsals for the show Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica, according to a person who was at the event but was not authorized to speak publicly about it. The person said Houston looked disheveled, was sweating profusely and liquor and cigarettes could be smelled on her breath.
Two days ago, she performed at a pre-Grammy party with singer Kelly Price.
Rosen said police received a 911 call from hotel security about Houston at 3:43 p.m. Saturday, and paramedics were already at the hotel because of a Grammy party. Paramedics unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the singer, the lieutenant said.
«The morning of the Grammys, the world should pause and pray for the memory of a gifted songbird,» Sharpton said in a written statement.
At her peak, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world’s best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.
Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like «The Bodyguard» and «Waiting to Exhale.»
She had the perfect voice and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.
She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.
But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.
«The biggest devil is me. I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy,» Houston told ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.
Temas: Bobby Brown, Kristen Foster, Whitney Houston
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